Leclerc left frustrated after Ferrari ignores one-stop plea

Charles Leclerc endured another frustrating outing at the Canadian Grand Prix as a strategy dispute and tense radio exchanges marred what could have been a more fruitful race for the Ferrari driver.

The Monegasque driver finished fifth in Montreal but was left disappointed by the team’s decision-making, particularly after being overruled on a key tactical call during the race.

Leclerc, who started from a lower-than-ideal grid position, had urged his team early in the race to commit to a one-stop strategy. Ferrari, however, brought him in on lap 28 of 70, locking him into a two-stop plan that ultimately failed to yield the optimal result.

Leclerc’s Strategy Overruled

Leclerc made clear post-race that the execution of the weekend fell short of expectations – both his own and the team’s.

“We are a little bit on the back foot, but that’s more to do with the starting position than the actual pace, because the pace wasn't too bad,” he said on Sunday.

“I’m frustrated that I didn't put everything together, but apart from that, [nothing] really affects me,” Leclerc added, alluding to the fraught radio communications between himself and his race engineer during the Grand Prix.

As Ferrari debated strategy options over team radio, Leclerc pushed firmly for the one-stop plan — a tactic that ultimately paid off for Esteban Ocon and Carlos Sainz Jnr, both of whom started deep in the field but salvaged points by stretching their stints.

Despite this, Ferrari maintained a more conservative approach with Leclerc, a decision that once again highlighted a lack of anticipation over race-day calls.

• Read also: Hamilton blames bizarre incident for compromised Canadian GP

“I think the team knows where I stand and knows what I want to do. That's what matters most to me,” Leclerc said.

“I would rather just focus on our work. We're not here to try and prove anybody wrong. We're just trying to do our job the best we possibly can, and we'll be happy if we do it.

“We didn't exactly do everything right this weekend, so I'm looking forward to the next race to try and turn that situation around.”

Vasseur: “We Can Take Some Risks”

Team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged that the team may have played it too safe when Leclerc was asking for a bolder call.

“It was simply too optimistic to do a 50-lap stint on one set of tyres,” Vasseur explained to reporters.

“I discussed it with Charles after the race. He’s right that we don’t have that much to lose when you are behind the pack. We can take some risks.”

However, he admitted that the team lacked crucial data to confidently back the strategy Leclerc had proposed.

“We’re probably missing some laps during the weekend to estimate it,” Vasseur said, referring to Leclerc’s absence from FP2 on Friday following a crash early on in FP1

The Canadian Grand Prix once again exposed the fragility of Ferrari’s race-day cohesion, with Leclerc’s frustration underscoring a wider concern about strategy execution – a recurring theme in the Scuderia's recent seasons.

As the championship heads to Austria, both driver and team will be under pressure to align more effectively.

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